Jason Aaron on X-MEN Villain’s Resurrection

courtesy Marvel Comics
courtesy Marvel Comics

  In Wolverine and the X-Men #23 Jason Aaron resurrected Azazel. The first storyline (The Draco) that introduced the demonic villain was controversial at the time and Azazel went to limbo (not the Magik kind either.) The character popped up in the X-Men: First Class movie. Aaron tells Comic Book Resources why he brought Nightcrawler’s father back into comics.

  “The reasons to bring him back are many-fold, as we’ll see over the course of the next two to three arcs. I didn’t really worry about the fact that the original storyline he appeared in was very divisive. I don’t think there are any bad characters. It’s more how you write that character and what you do with them.

  I’ve had plans for Azazel for a long time and his return means we’ll start to see the explanation of why there are Bamfs in the Jean Grey School. That, of course, goes back to our very first issue. This is all stuff that’s been in the works for a very long time and will come to a head later in the year in what will probably be the biggest arc we’ve ever done with “Wolverine & the X-Men.”

  In The Draco story it was revealed that Azazel and Mystique were the parents of Nightcrawler. Mystique will be a major villain in All-New X-Men with an agenda involving the original five X-Men. Imagine Raven’s reaction when she learns Azazel is back? Could this lead to Mystique working with the X-Men? With Azazel’s return could this signal the resurrection of the real Kurt Wagner?

By Editor

Villain of All-Female X-MEN

X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel

  The Women of the Atom star in a brand new X-Men #1 by Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel. Jubilee, Storm, Psylocke, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, and Rachel Grey will face an evil blast from the recent past. Brian Wood told Comic Book Resources why Sublime (from the Grant Morrison New X-Men era) turns to the mutatns for help.

  “Without giving too much away, Sublime surrenders to the X-Men because he has a serious problem of his own that he can’t handle, and the X-Men, being his most formidable opponents, are his best source for help. We get right into that, as he walks onto the grounds of the Jean Grey School and surrenders to Rachel and Psylocke.

  Elsewhere, the others are picking up Jubilee who calls in a panic, having travelled halfway around the world to make it back “home” to the X-Men, and yeah, she’s got a baby with her. How these two story lines connect is what I’m not getting into just yet, as well as the cosmic thing and the threat to the planet. And the baby, I promise you, the baby is not evil nor does it die.”

“I was simply having a look at villains, early on in the pitch process, and he seemed interesting to me. I devised this story around him, this first arc. He won’t be the only villain in the book, and he’s actually not the only villain in this first arc. At the end of issue #1 there’s something of a reveal, exactly what this problem is that Sublime needs the X-Men’s help with. No other villain could work in this story, and I’m looking forward to adding a few more layers to his character.”

  Brian Wood also said having Storm on the team was a must. Wood’s 2012 X-Men: Proto Mutants storyline was one of my favorites of the year. No creator had written Ororo that good since Chris Claremont.

  Sublime was a major threat to mutants during Grant Morrison’s run. Sublime is a sentient bacteria that took a human host and become Dr. John Sublime – a scientist with connections to the Weapon X project that created Wolverine. Sublime diverted itself into the drug known as “Kick” that mutants abused to enhance their powers. Quentin Quire – under kick’s influence – led the riot at Xavier’s.

X-Men #1 arrives in April.

By Editor

Warbird Soars in Astonishing X-Men

Astonishing X-Men #58 courtesy Marvel
Astonishing X-Men #58 courtesy Marvel

The hero who takes center stage in the current Astonishing X-Men arc is not a mutant but Warbird is a breakout character to watch! Warbird was introduced in Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men as the bodyguard of Kid Gladiator (aka the heir to the Shi’ar Empire.)

When Marjorie Liu took over Astonishing X-Men Warbird joined the roster and now the wayward alien warrior is front and center. Warbird’s flirtation with Iceman has been hilarious and the flashbacks of her tragic past have been haunting. In this week’s Astonishing X-Men #58 Warbird is an enemy of Earth and the Shi’ar Empire. Can the alien artifact she’s discovered save her?

Not since Hepzibah was part of Ed Brubaker’s Uncanny X-Men run have I enjoyed such a great non-mutant hero hanging with the Children of the Atom. I hope Warbird sticks around or perhaps guests in Marvel’s space-based books like Nova or Guardians of the Galaxy.

By Editor

Comic Book Picks January 23, 2013

Deadpool Killustrated #1 courtesy Marvel
Deadpool Killustrated #1 courtesy Marvel

Deadpool Killustrated #1 A bizarre mash-up as the Merc with a Mouth targets some of the biggest icons of literature? Maybe Cullen Bunn and Wade Wilson can influence kids to read the classics?

The Massive #8 The crew discovers a new nation built upon oil platforms. Is this new “country” the hope Callum and company have been hoping for in the post-Crash world?

Nightwing #8 Will Dick Grayson survive the Joker’s revenge? A critical tie-in before next month’s Death of the Family finale.

Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness #1 This all-new series leads into the next Star Trek movie!

Uncanny Avengers #3 The biggest threats to mutants is…the Red Skull? The Captain America villain has been reborn! How will Scarlet Witch and Rogue strike now that they know the horrific secret of the Skull’s new power?

Uncanny X-Force #1 Psylocke, Storm, Spiral, Cluster and Puck? Sam Humphreys and Ron Garney relaunch the book with a brand new covert team in a deadly mission against a former X-Man!

Young Avengers #1 Kid Loki assembles Marvel’s mightiest teens in a brand new series by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie!

By Editor

 

X-MEN Wolverine and Storm Kiss

Wolverine and the X-Men #24 courtesy Marvel
Wolverine and the X-Men #24 courtesy Marvel

Will they or won’t they? Wolverine and Storm share a passionate kiss on the cover of this week’s Wolverine and the X-Men #24. The story by Jason Aaron is billed as “date night” but could Logan and Ororo really become the new mutant super couple?

Storm is still heartbroken over her marriage to the Black Panther being “annulled” by her own husband – Wakandan law gives him the right plus he’s the King.

This isn’t the first time Logan and Ororo shared a kiss. Way back in Uncanny X-Men Annual #11 by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis the mutants faced off against Horde. This was 1987 during when Ororo still had her mohawk. The kiss was during a clash with a villain who tempted each X-Man with a vision of life they secretly wanted.

Wolverine has always has an admiration and respect for Ororo but love? Logan’s feelings for the late Jean have resurfaced since the teen Jean Grey arrived from the past in All-New X-Men.

In this series Jason Aaron has developed the relationship between Kitty Pryde and Iceman. I approve (and that’s coming from a longtime Kitty/Colossus fanatic.) (See Date Night in Wolverine and the X-Men. )

As we’ve seen from previews Storm will be sporting her Mohawk again in the new Uncanny X-Force and X-Men titles. This “kiss” issue may be a big tease or the impetus for Ororo to change her look and attitude again. Stay tuned X-fans.

By Editor

GLAAD Outstanding Comic Book Should Be?

Astonishing X-Men #51 courtesy Marvel
Astonishing X-Men #51 courtesy Marvel

An X-Man got married to a Man. A gay Green Lantern was born. A Riverdale teen met his geek (and gay) icon. A twist on who was a Slayer in Buffyverse. Those were just some of the GLBT characters and storylines that made mainstream headlines, boosted comics and possibly helped change our culture.

GLAAD revealed their nominees for Outstanding Comic Book. Congratulations to the writers/artists/editors and publishers for the recognition. The nominations reflect on the big year for gay characters in comic books and the impact they have on society.

  Astonishing X-Men, Earth 2, Kevin Keller, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batwoman are great books by talented creators but which book should win and why?

Op/Ed:

Do I have a favorite? I admit I have a X-Men bias but it was my first comic book.

I have go to with Astonishing X-Men. Northstar’s wedding to Kyle Jinadu was not just a one issue stunt. Jean-Paul has been out since 1992. Jean-Paul an Kyle’s romance developed in earlier volumes of Uncanny X-Men and the most recent Alpha Flight series.

Astonishing X-Men #51 variant courtesy Marvel

In Astonishing X-Men #51 Jean-Paul and Kyle got married in New York’s Central Park surrounded by teammates. Marvel even gave the book 2 variants: one with Jean-Paul and Kyle kissing and one with the happy couple on the cover with some of Marvel’s most famous couple’s on their big day. You may call that smart marketing. It is. By looking at this special cover it sent a message that Jean-Paul and Kyle’s ceremony and relationship was the same as Reed and Susan Richards and other Marvel super couples. (Let’s hope they turn out better than Scott & Jean, Storm & T’Challa or Quicksilver & Crystal!)

The wedding was not the end of Kyle’s screen time in the book. After the honeymoon Marjorie Liu continues to explore the complicated life of being married to a superhero in every issue. Who would have thought Wolverine would be giving a guy relationship advice about his husband? Remember when Jean-Paul couldn’t come out?

Astonishing X-Men #54 courtesy Marvel
Astonishing X-Men #54 courtesy Marvel

Northstar wasn’t the only GLBT character featured in this book. Former New Mutant Karma was central to the storyline of Liu’s thrilling arc. Liu didn’t touch on Karma being a lesbian just a conflicted character who showed why she’s a great hero and mother figure to her younger siblings. It didn’t matter than Karma was a lesbian but perhaps Shan may find love now that she’s survived the villain of Liu’s first arc.

By Editor

By Editor

Mark Millar: Challenges of X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Uncanny X-Men #141 courtesy Marvel.com

The comic book writer who launched Ultimate X-Men and The Ultimates (which influenced The Avengers movie) is now the Creative Consultant for the Marvel movie franchises controlled by Fox.

I wanted to share part of Mark Millar’s interview with SciFiNow about the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. Bryan Singer returns to the X-Men franchise to direct the film based on the classic storyline set in the past and a dark future. Turning that beloved X-Men story into a film is ambitious.

“I know how it’s done, so I’m not worried. I’ve been in all these meetings and talked about it at length with everyone, and everything I hear sounds incredibly mainstream. It’s no more difficult than The Terminator, or whatever, there’s one element of time jump in it, but other than that it’s absolutely fine.”

One of the biggest challenges in turning comic book teams into big screen teams is screen time for fan favorite characters and deciding who to cut. Millar compared what he faced writing Ultimate X-Men with the development of the X-Men movies.

“I remember when I was writing Ultimate X-Men and people were saying ‘I want to see Gambit, I want to see Rogue, I want to see…’ Everybody has a list, and at first you think ‘I’m going to please everyone’ and then you realise you’re pleasing no-one by just throwing in ten second cameos, you know.

I think that was the major problem with that first Wolverine movie and X-Men 3. Bryan Singer did such an incredible job with that original movie – it’s quite like Star Wars in that there’s Episodes IV, V and VI, and we’ve got the Matthew Vaughn prequels, and I love that – I love the fact that it simplifies so well. X-Men in the Nineties was so convoluted in comic-book terms, and Bryan drove a knife through it and make it work and simplified the whole thing.

I’d like to have that same approach and if we are bringing in a character then it shouldn’t just be for a trailer or to get a picture up online, get people excited, it should actually have a point in the story.

The trick with that is to try and keep the cast relatively small so that you actually care about them.”

For the entire interview here’s the ScifFiNow link.

Bryan Singer has revealed Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Hugh Jackman will reprise their roles. Kitty Pryde is critical to the original story but no word on it Kitty (played by Ellen Page in X3) will be in the film.

If you missed it – here’s my X-geek wish list for the next movie!

By Editor

 

X-Men Traitor?

Uncanny X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel
Uncanny X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel

   Cyclops, Magneto, Emma Frost and Magik star in the upcoming Uncanny X-Men. Scott’s team is recruiting new mutants for the revolution. Marvel is making it very clear in this new teaser image by Chris Bachalo – there’s a TRAITOR in the new team/book!

  This image shows the heavy hitters plus two brand new characters. The question is not just “who is the traitor?” but who is the traitor working for?

Let’s the TRAITOR theories begin:

  It’s possible Wolverine allowed Cyke to “recruit” one of the new kids to his side to get the inside track on the rival X-Men.

  Could the traitor be working for the Avengers? Just because Captain America formed the Uncanny Avengers to bridge the gap between mutants doesn’t mean someone like Tony Stark wouldn’t want a spy in Cyke’s camp.

  Emma Frost? Scott and Emma are over. Emma has been in the Hellfire Club, lead the Dark X-Men during Dark Reign and has slipped into the role of traitor, seductress and villain to suit her needs. Emma could be secretly working for Tony Stark or Wolverine. Plus, you know the return of Jean Grey is really getting to her!

 Who do you think the traitor is and why?

 Brian Michael Bendis knows! Can’t wait to see how he plays this out! The book is out February 13th. 

By Editor